Everytime I go outside I look for little creatures, small in size but making a large impact. Not birds, not snakes, not frogs. But bugs. Whenever I go to the dog park in West Bend or go on a nature walk I search high and low for beetles, millipedes, snails, grasshoppers. I look for them all. I have a small collection of different bugs. 

Bugs are full of colors and different shapes and sizes. Like the Emerald ash borer or the antelope beetle. Both of which are found in Wisconsin. Bugs make me feel like I am a part of something bigger than just myself. And even when they are no longer a part of this world, I keep them, and pin them.

One of my favorite things to do with my child is to go out on walks and see what things we can find. I’m always amazed by the diversity of things that are around us that get passed by if you are not looking for treasures. Just a simple walk around the yard can reveal things like the tiniest jumping spiders hiding in the bushes by our front door or the wonderfully fat and fuzzy bumbles that bump around in the sage.  It’s all around us if you take the time to look. 

I will be forever grateful that my child has shown me the wonderful world of the small and misunderstood bugs. There’s no more need to recoil and fear these creepier parts of the critter community. I can now bravely observe and relocate, if necessary, the unintended guests in our house because of them.  This has

made me more aware of my own place in the world and that there’s room for all of us. Just some of us need to stay outside.  Sometimes it’s the smallest things that make the biggest impression.